Microbial Environment Monitoring

MICROBIAL ENVIROMENTAL MONITORING Environmental microbial monitoring isdone to check the bioburden of the aseptic area or controlled environment . Generally, in a pharmaceutical industry following methods are used for microbial control of the environment—

1. Active air sampling 2. Collection of Swab samples

Active air sampling Air sampling in the context of microbiological assessment is the collection ofairborne microbial contaminants that may impact on product spoilage, product safety and human health.

Working : Microporous membrane filters, e.g. cellulose ester are used to collect a sample from a forced volume of air. The resulting filter is placed on or in growth medium and incubated. Applied stresses as a result of desiccation may affect the result. Glass impingers collect a sample in a liquid reducing stress to the cells and from which further techniques may be applied

Advantages : •

Compared to traditional approaches sample collection is more accurate and takes less time.

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The techniques are applicable to environments not possible by traditional approaches, e.g. compressed gases

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The methods described here allow for the accurate and quantifiable measurement of microbial risk factors

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Can be used for measuring extremely low conc. of microbes .

Collection of Swab samples Samples can arrive at the microbiology laboratory in a variety of formats, often sub-samples of a large production batch or in a clinical setting, samples of body fluids. Swabs however, are unique in their presentation, as the target microorganisms need to have been efficiently collected from the sampling site, carried by an inert vector and then must be recovered from this for subsequent analysis.

Properties of Swab : a) It should be able to keep the more delicate and fastidious bacteria viable whilst ones from multipyling and obscuring others . b) it must maintain cellular mat. and not interfere with diagnostic test used.

preventing robust